All Eyes On Me (Your Eyes On Me)
by Imakemyselflol
Summary: Musicians AU Castiel Novak is the lead singer of a multiplatinum selling band that's seven tracks short of a fifth album. Dean Winchester is an up and coming star with no option but to succeed, and a new job opportunity that could change his life, if he can keep it. Music. Drama. Family. Love. Everything hangs in the balance
1. Chapter 1

_**Strangers, we're nothing but strangers**_

 _"This town ain't yours and this town ain't mine,_

 _We all come here with the light in our eyes,_

 _Some will burn out,_

 _Some will burn bright,_

 _some learn to fly some will run for their lives,_

 _In this town,_

 _This town_ _" -_ _ **This town, Nashville**_

 _ **Winter**_

 _"The jury's out on this one folks as the rumour mill once again swirls around bad-boy rock front man Castiel N-"_

The TV shut off abruptly and Dean groaned into his breakfast. He hadn't even heard the front door open. It was always the same thing with his manager though, there was never a warning text or even a polite knock before he was there, whether Dean was dressed or not. To be fair today he had track pants on at least, the frequency with which Crowley managed to see him essentially nude was impressive. The argument that he should clothe himself more often had been made, and dismissed. Clothes were for when there were people around and as far as Dean was concerned his demon of a manager didn't count.

"Crowley, to what do I owe this dubious pleasure? EP bomb? TMZ reveal I'm actually a robot from the future here to save John Connor? People no longer listen to music? The universe is about to implode?" Dean hid a smirk, biting the apple in his hand and slouching over the counter top while Crowley made his way around the kitchen, dropping a coffee cup at Dean's elbow before scurrying to stand across from him, and for a second Dean thought he might not sass him back, and where was the fun in that?

"Haha Deano, comic genius really, maybe you should have been a comic instead of a musician. I brought coffee and news so either shut up and drink the abomination in a cup you American's call coffee or just shut up, either way," he pointedly ignored the affronted gasp, holding up a hand in placation "silence."

Dean knew what battles to fight, and the fact that he'd actually gone and ordered the Apple Pie coffee from Dunkin was serious enough that the silence was pretty natural. Also screw Crowley, it was damn delicious and even better warm than cold so he sipped at it in all its cinnamon sugar glory while Crowley pulled out his laptop.

Sugar cravings had become the norm since Sam had last skyped him and pleaded for Dean to eat healthier, and when that boy used his puppy dog eyes there was no saying anything else, you were doing what he asked. Didn't seem to matter much that he was verging 6 and a half feet tall and two years away from being a fully qualified lawyer, Dean would never be a match for his pleading face. The health kick was slightly annoying, but if he was honest Dean had never felt better about his health in general. Limiting himself to one fast food item a month had done wonders for his lethargy, and his muse, probably because he was actually doing some proper sleeping instead of driving, touring, eating and watching TV. Who knew vegetables and exercise could have so many benefits?

"So. I've been emailing back and forth with an old friend of mine in the business, Lucifer Natas."

Dean's jaw dropped. "As in _the_ Lucifer, like, Hellfire Records, Room full of Grammy's, Career making or breaking _that Lucifer_?"

"Yes, that Lucifer, although when I knew him we all called him Lucy because of this one time when- well maybe that's one I'll keep in the back pocket Anyway, back to the point, I may have mentioned you, sent him a few of your tracks, the unreleased stuff obviously, and he apparently liked what he heard because he has a problem he wants our assistance with." Crowley grinned briefly behind the screen of his laptop before turning it around so Dean could see the photo displayed on screen. "What do you know about this band?" He asked smugly while Dean pulled the machine closer and rolled his eyes.

"Crowley everyone knows who these guys are, what does that have to do with anything?" He complained, but Crowley simply tapped the side of his nose and said "Indulge me."

With a sigh, Dean put down his apple core and wiped his hands quickly on his bottoms before grabbing the laptop and giving into Crowley's inherent need for dramatic buildup.

"This is Black Wing, Four man _literal_ band of brothers: Gabriel on drums and percussion, Raphael on bass and rhythm guitar, Balthazar on keyboard, synth, electronics basically and of course the infamous front man and lyricist Castiel. Currently have four record breaking albums and rumour has it there's a fifth on the way. Satisfied?" Crowley chuckled and shrugged at his growl.

"What can I say, I'm an entertainer Dean and my public demands drama, look at the BBC, us Brits are always up for it. But to answer your question before you throw that cup at me, yes I'm satisfied. Now on to the main event." Crowley said drolly. "Black wing have been a part of Hellfire since their first album went platinum, and you were right, their fifth album is due for release next summer. A reality that poses a _small_ problem in that they're short about, oh I don't know, seven usable tracks? Which has Lucy a bit nervous to put it nicely, and he's called all sorts of people to try get that fixed with no luck. But then he heard your EP and came to _my_ door." He affected nonchalance, picking at his fingernails while Dean fidgeted.

"Crowley is this going where I think it's going?" Dean said carefully, wishing now that he'd put on a shirt, maybe had a meeting in the actual office space he'd created in this apartment for moments like these that would change the course of his fucking career.

"He wants you to work with the band, get six stellar tracks on that record and then, here's the cake, Not only will the seventh _feature_ you, he also strong armed our label into getting your _album_ off the ground, and you'll be able to record it at the same time. They're all down in LA already so he's asked for you and the gang to make your way down at the end of the week to get started." Crowley smiled openly as Dean jumped up and rushed at him, crushing him into a tight hug. This was it, the break that would take him to the next level. Maybe he could actually _see_ Sammy during the holidays next year rather than doing the festival circuit without a break. Christ, maybe he could see _Bobby_ instead of just hearing his voice over the phone every once in a while, finally go home for a bit. This gig could change his whole damned life. The mist in his eyes was mercifully unmentioned by Crowley.

"When do we tell the guys?" Dean said, beaming his head off and mentally packing his bags already. Black Wing wouldn't know what hit 'em.

Castiel opened one eye blearily, thankful for the foresight of installing blackout curtains in the bedroom, as the knocking on his door got more belligerent. The clock insisted that it was past noon but he was pretty certain it was seven am in hell. The night out drinking with Gabe might have had a part to play in _that_ delusion, Castiel groaned and forced himself out of bed, meandering to open the door for the only person he knew that wouldn't have just barged in.

"Charlie, tell Lucifer that having him breathing down my neck is not likely to get him results and if he would be so kind as to hop off my dick about this I'd be much obliged." Castiel said blankly, waiting for her to skirt inside before closing the door with a soft click.

Charlie was the best manager/assistant/friend he'd ever had, but she was a talker and a half, never quite managing to contain her enthusiasm within herself. The fact that she was still quiet as she fluttered about opening the curtains and grabbing them both water was foreboding at best.

"Charlie?" He raised a brow at her as she handed him his water and sat down.

"I just got an email from HQ... Lucifer has decided that some outside influences wouldn't go amiss in helping solve the creative block we've got going on. He's eh... sending us some reinforcements." Charlie trailed off, knowing that no matter who it was it wouldn't go down well. Castiel was a great musician but he was also proud, sometimes too proud, they had a deadline to meet and maybe the mystery guest would help them meet it, but Castiel would refuse help from anyone. That being said, she was a little miffed that they weren't bring told who the hell was coming, or been given any warning other than an email that said to be ready for an arrival within the next couple of hours. She could have done without that first thing on a Sunday.

The look Castiel gave her said it all, the glower and pursed lips on top of the folded arms did not reassure her that everything would go down fine.

"Before you say anything, I don't know who it is, I can't get rid of them and they're, I think, Already here at least the text Balthazar sent seems to suggest that...Oh! And I'm sorry." It would almost be funny if she wasn't so sure that Castiel was going to treat whoever arrived with complete contempt, generally being rude and uncooperative to try make them leave.

"Ugh. _They_? Here already? And the guys just decided to hang out with these people we don't want around? What am I saying of course they did, little asshats probably arranged it all themselves.. So what I'm hearing is that I've been sent a babysitter by the label, and I have absolutely no say in it. Yeah I'm not a big fan of this at all so I'd like to amend my earlier message for Lucifer and add that he is a giant bag of dicks and I hope someone scratches every single record he owns followed swiftly by his cars and then his face. I need a shower at the very least before we do this, meet you downstairs in twenty." Charlie took the dismissal for what it was and made her way out, patting Castiel's arm gently as she went. He didn't do well with being controlled, and right now space to be alone was the only balm for his frustration so she left as quickly as she had come, phone already in hand as she went.

He waited until he was actually under the shower to get angry, thumping a fist against the dark tile and watching as water droplets raced down to his feet around it. If he was honest it was mostly self directed anger. He was the one who couldn't write a decent song, no matter who's bed he slithered into or how many nights he spent with someone just dying to be his, there was nothing there.

It was making him anxious, and clearly Lucifer too because he must have known that sending in a helper monkey would only make that anxiety worse. Castiel had handwritten every song on their four albums and now he could barely crank out a single decent track. Maybe it was because he'd said everything he needed to, the catharsis of memories and hurts from his parents finally over, leaving him in a creative rut. He didn't know but whatever it was that had him staring blankly at pages for hours on end needed to mend itself fast.

Looking into the mirror, Castiel couldn't remember a time when he had looked so exhausted, dark rings framing his blue eyes like two day old stage makeup that just wouldn't go away. He was tired all the time, constantly working or making an appearance at a party, causing a scandal every second day because of who he went home with, what he wore, where he showed his face. There was no off switch for the rock and roll lifestyle, and he enjoyed it, but it was busy and not private in any way so keeping this stranger's presence under wraps would be next to impossible. Unless, Castiel thought carefully, unless they didn't spend any time together outside the studio. If their meetings were kept to a minimum there would be no reason for people to speculate about why some talented songwriter was in studio with one of the biggest names in music. With that in mind Castiel pulled on his shirt and tie, grabbed his wallet and headed downstairs to meet Charlie, and the strangers.

LA was still vaguely warm even though they were well into winter at this stage, a fact Kevin pointed out repeatedly as their U-haul was unloaded into the apartment they'd rented together because "group bonding is important guys, it'll be like college!" (Dean was bemused by that one because seeing as he'd never gone, Chuck had done a few courses at the local community college and Jo had gotten her degree online, Technically Kev was the only college attendee there so they'd have to take his word for it that it was a positive thing) Not that he was complaining, he loved all of them like they were family and it was no hardship to live with them for a few months here because they did spend a few months a year trapped in a tour bus together festival hopping.

It was a fair assessment to say that as a group they were pretty jittery, but all were trying to convince the others that they couldn't care less as they unpacked, screaming along (their collective tell, Dean was pretty sure) to the AC\DC album Dean threw on (His tell, Jo insisted.). In no time at all they'd made their mark on the apartment, down to the last photograph they were finished and starving, which prompted a call to the nearest burger joint by the loser of a 'Finish that lyric" contest (Kevin). The table was nice enough but the coffee table in the living room was something else, a glass over plants-that- were-still-growing type thing that all of them instantly loved and that was where Crowley found them, sprawled around it on the floor surrounded by a mass of wrappers.

"I'd ask" Crowley sighed "but then you might open your mouths. Your meeting as it were will be in studio, a lovely place by all accounts. I myself have to run, bit of business to take care of. Chuck, I leave you in charge, try to make sure they play nice. Any problems, be a grown up and figure them out on your own. Ta ta!" Quicker than he'd arrived he was gone in a flash of teeth and glare from sunglasses. Apparently they'd be fending for themselves. Awesome.

"Uhm, guys? I think we should probably get on the road if we want to actually arrive on time." Chuck offered quickly in his usual nervous tenor. Chuck was a strangely accurate guy when it came to timing, never once had his suggestions for when to leave lead them astray, or into heavy traffic, once he'd even gotten them to leave a festival fifteen minutes earlier which had meant they'd lost no time when they'd arrived at the police checkpoint twenty miles north. With this in mind Dean quickly stuffed the trash into the can and scrambled out the door with the rest, bustling with nervous energy he almost forgot to close up behind him.

"Woah." Jo's barely uttered assessment of the building had Dean nodding fervently at her side. The 7 Circles recording studio was more like a luxury home that just happened to have music recording and production capabilities than any studio Dean had imagined.

"Bet you wish you'd thought of this when you were converting back home eh Winchester?" She laughed as he stuck out his tongue at her.

"Well I don't know Joanna Beth, I quite like what I did with the place." The swift punch in the arm he received for using her full name was, and would always be, worth it. The reception desk was surprisingly vacant, but the tell tale clack of heels on hardwood made it clear that someone at least was coming. As it turned out, the clacks belonged to a beautiful young intern by the name of Ruby who was hoping to become a producer and was in night school to achieve that while working here to gain experience on the side. They managed to get to know her well enough that she felt comfortable, having lead their way through a series of convoluted corridors that eventually opened out into what she called "The green room", shoving them through the doorway with a chuckle and leaving them to fend for themselves. Dean didn't quite know what to think of that, and he didn't really have a chance to dwell on it.

Raphael, Gabriel. and Balthazar were sprawled across the various chairs together, laughing and messing about as they stumbled through the doorway. Silence almost fell awkwardly between the seven of them, but Gabriel jumped from his spot on a massive purple bean bag with a glint in his eye. He was on Jo in an instant, taking her hand and raising it to his lips with a muttered "Enchanté".

Jo for her part just stared at him in bafflement for a second before turning to face his brothers.

"Did he just seriously do that, is he for real? That is the strangest thing that has happened to me in a long time and a man once tried to pee on me in the middle of my Mom's bar."

There was a tick where that registered with everyone and then uproarious laughter, and suddenly they were making introductions and dropping into seats of their own while Dean regaled the group with the full eyewitness account of exactly what had gone down the night of the infamous pee attempt. Which of course lead to Balthazar telling them how Gabe (Gabriel is not a name for anyone under two hundred) had once started a small riot at one of their own concerts because he'd offered his underwear to the first person that could make it up onstage, and specified that they were the underwear he had on right that second. And then Chuck describing how they had almost been arrested on Kevin's birthday two years back for doing a strip tease for a bunch of nuns as a dare. By the evening tears were being wiped from eyes and a fast friendship seemed to have formed between them all.

"Listen guys, I don't know where Cassie is but I say we move this party to the diner a couple blocks from here, grab some food and come back here. I'm guessing he'll be up by then, he would be already if someone hadn't kept him out till six in the morning yesterday." Raphael said smiling, and with that they all pulled on various pieces of clothing that had been shed (notably Gabe lost a sock, just the one, somewhere along the line and Kevin was sure he'd been wearing a hoodie at some point) and grouped off to get some food. Dean excused himself momentarily to go to the bathroom and when he was finished they were all gone and he was alone in the sprawling depths of the studio.

He really got why they'd called it 7 circles because he'd definitely seen the Hendrix painting he passed again twice at least before . On a whim he made a sharp left and started walking down an incredibly long corridor, chuckling to himself when he got the text from Chuck letting him know that they had realised he wasn't with them and were on their way back from picking up a piece of pie with his steak as an apology for leaving him behind. The phone distracted him completely from noticing the two approaching figures until there were only a few metres between them.

"Wait a second... Dean? Dean Winchester?!" Dean would recognise that voice, and the red hair that came along with it anywhere. Unabashed he dropped to one knee and smiled charmingly up at her.

"Your majesty." He said seriously, eyes crinkling up with mirth as she curtseyed and returned a quick "My liege" before rushing towards him and almost knocking him over when he stood up with the force of her hug.

"I can't believe you're here! I mean, they said someone was coming but I had no idea, why didn't you tell me you were in the business, I would have liked to salute the person that finally recognised your talent." Charlie spoke a mile a minute while the other person, Castiel, waited silently a few feet back.

Dean explained everything that happened since they'd last seen each other (at a LARP event a few years back) in about five minutes, quick to mock his own failings and praise the people that had given him a chance, and Castiel hated him. A little. Not at all. He was something else, absolutely gorgeous with his green eyes and freckled skin and clearly a genuinely solid person as well, but Castiel didn't want him here, wanted him gone by the next month at least. He didn't need help from anyone, especially not some nobody rookie hick with a pretty face. Dean Winchester was not a friend, he was the enemy. The sooner he could show everyone else that, the better.

"Jesus we've been rude, sorry, Dean, meet Castiel Novak, my friend and occasional boss. Castiel this is Dean my sworn swordsman and old friend." Charlie said encouragingly and Dean, always polite in the face of people he'd be working with, held out a hand.

And held it.

Until eventually. He let it fall limply back to his side with an awkward grin and a blush creeping up his neck. Castiel almost felt bad, but the goal was more important than some random's feelings.

"Ookaaaaaaaay... well uh," Dean's hand rubbed at the back of his neck nervously and that was a little bit satisfying, even if it earned him an elbow in the ribs from Charlie. "I guess you're probably still tired and stuff but um I look forward to working with you on this, your brothers seem really great and all your other stuff has been amazing so I'm pretty optimistic. You know I have-"

Castiel raised a hand and cut him off just like that, blue eyes piercing Dean's like he was looking right through him and seeing something he didn't like. "Listen Dean, I'm not going to lie to you. I don't want you here. At all. I have never heard of you, don't trust you, don't know you and to be frank, don't want to. Let's be clear: you're here because Lucifer sent you and that is it. I don't want your input in any shape or form, and I most certainly do not need your help. So if I have to endure your presence it'll be on my terms. I like to start working at 5am sharp, here in studio. That's where you'll be and when. Outside of you sitting in the corner playing with your toys while I work I don't foresee us spending any time together at all, and I will never meet you anywhere but in this building. I don't need you Winchester, so bring a puzzle or something to do with you tomorrow morning. 5 am, clear?"

Charlie was frozen still with her jaw halfway to Mexico by the time he was finished and Dean, well Dean had stiffened three words in and shuttered off before he'd eve made it to the details of the job. He was taking a brutal route, Castiel as well aware of that. But that was how it had to be, he just wanted to be left alone and if he had to take this guy down to do it then fuck the cost. Maybe in a different world, they could have been friends, or even something a bit more than that. In the real world however, Castiel as at war and he was not taking any prisoners.

The laughter had stopped when the footsteps had and the oppressive silence made it clear that their conversation had not been private. Just wonderful, Castiel thought bitterly.

"I hear you Cas, loud and clear. I'll uh, I'll see you in the morning. If you would excuse me." Dean's fists were clenched to the point that Castiel had been so sure he was about to break something and probably spew abuse right back, of course that was before he'd opened his mouth and been polite as anything. Which made Castiel look like the asshole who just rags on complete strangers with no provocation oh wait that's exactly what he was. Funny how things like that worked out.

Dean turned on his heel and went back down the way he'd come, leaving Castiel with four very familiar disappointed faces and three new and furious ones. Instead of staying for what would no doubt have been a really irritating lecture, He pushed his way through the group and out of the building, eager to go home and remind himself that this was the right thing, even if the blank look on Dean's face while he went on his tirade would fucking haunt him. Standing out waiting for a cab on the sidewalk, Castiel focused on that thought. In the long run, he was doing what was best for everybody.

Watching his youngest brother's trench coat swish and disappear around the corner and out of sight was almost a relief after hearing how he'd treated Dean. Sure he had always been a dry humoured, dead pan sarcastic mother fucker but he'd never been cruel, if anything he was the sweet one among them, always there to help. Evidently this would be an experience for them all. Gabe pulled a beer from his bag and took a swig of it, eager to overcome the silence that still lay over them as they stood together in the hallway.

"Well" he quipped, taking another swig "that could have gone better. Cassie usually takes his time before sweet talking them like that but this time apparently not. Who wants to bet on those two ending up playing homoerotic twister at some point? Any takers, those 5 am sessions sound steamy. No? Just me?" Laughter from all sides as he waggled his brows suggestively broke the tension somewhat, at least enough for them to start moving again, start speaking again as Charlie introduced herself and various apologies for Castiel's outburst were given. All Gabriel could say for sure was that the next few weeks were going to be a journey for all of them because Cassie was stubborn but looking at Dean, smiling and cracking jokes as they settled down to eat as if nothing had gone down, he wasn't so sure that stubbornness would be able to hold up.

"What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?" He muttered softly to himself.

"Huh?"

Gabe grinned slyly as he sat next to Jo. "Oh nothing, nothing at all."


	2. Chapter 2

_**All of this is tearing us apart**_

 _"_ _If there's anyone near when we collide,_

 _We'll throw them in the middle_

 _They can pick sides,_

 _As the plans turn into compromise,_

 _The promises all turn to lies,_

 _the fight builds up and I can't get through,_

 _Passive me aggressive you"_ _ **\- All of this, The Naked and Famous**_

 _ **Winter**_

Three weeks. Three weeks of getting up at four in the morning five times a week and waiting in barely there sunshine outside the studio for Castiel to arrive and open up. Three weeks of forced silence while sitting halfway across the room from each other. At least Dean was able to write while they sat, he already had a few ideas for songs and if Cas wasn't on board with hearing them then he'd go to the other brothers instead during their weekly hang out. The blatant hostility was a trial, when Dean had asked if they were ever going to actually have a proper conversation Castiel had just looked smug and said "Maybe one day, but today you're my little bitch."

It had been a low point in their working relationship.

There was no reason for the bad mindedness, apparently Cas was actually a really nice guy in general, a little dry, but nice. His dislike of Dean was more of a principle thing than anything else. Still unpleasant for Dean, he really was trying not to lash out but it was getting more and more difficult. The problem with sitting in silence wasn't that they were being quiet, no, Dean loved quiet, craved quiet even. The issue was that he wasn't alone but he was _alone_ for hours on end, and the negative energy was starting to get to him a little.

Exactly three weeks, two days, ten hours and twelve minutes. That was how long it took for Dean to finally just go hang out with everyone else instead of waiting around like an idiot for Cas to get his head out of his ass. Yeah he had a bunch of new material for his own album, but that wasn't the only reason he was here and the silent treatment was getting him nowhere. He might as well just join the jam session down the corridor anyway, get the gang to help with the melody of the latest stuff he had been working on.

True to form all six of them were in a pile, tuning up, discussing various techniques and occasionally playing bits and pieces for each other. It was loud with voices and instruments and laughter, and it was about ten million times more useful than the silent city of Castiel's. At least he could get their opinions about what he was doing, and yeah they would also listen to his bitching about Cas. In fairness he was acting the same way to them too, never joining their Friday night group dinner and certainly not going out with them. In the time that Dean had known him (in the broadest sense of the term) he'd seen three different articles accompanied by photos of people partying with Cas and then going home with him, always different people and always across town from where they'd be. It was just childish at this point. Taking the high road was annoying, but Dean was well versed in being the grown up of the situation and he would keep doing that here too, even if he was fairly sure Cas was at least three years older than him. But whatever.

"Hey, guys I was wondering if you'd go over this one with me, I like it so far but I'm not sure about the vibe,ya know?" Dean asked brightly as he handed scrawled pieces of sheet music around and Gabriel clapped him on the shoulder.

"Not playing guitar yourself Deano? Interesting choice, can all of your merry men play guitar and bass or do you just hope for the best?" He asked, amused as Kevin and Jo grabbed acoustic guitars from the rack against the wall and began tuning them quickly while Chuck looked at their music and made small notations here and there, adding his own percussion line because he always just knew what would sound good and Dean was kind of lost with it anyhow.

"They're all pretty good on an acoustic guitar at least, Jo and I learned to play that together in her Mom's bar when we were kids but bass was where she found her calling, and Kevin was a classical violinist before he started playing keyboard so we both had some lessons on the road and he picked both up pretty quick, as for Chuck well, he broke the neck off the last time we tried so, none for him just yet."

They had always shared skills between them, from when they were young and Dean had taught Jo how to cook for herself so she could surprise her Mom with a birthday lunch, or when Jo had taught him everything she knew about waiting tables so he could get a job at The Roadhouse and start saving for college for Sam by working after school. When they had started playing it was no different, and Kevin and Chuck were very much on board, Each giving their own knowledge to the group as required. They had spent long days in the van together just hanging out and learning whatever they could teach one another. It was just how they worked, and Dean was proud to see the fruits of it every time Kevin picked up a guitar, or Chuck helped a stranger with their car troubles, or Jo designed merch to sell online.

In a couple of minutes they were ready to play, and seeing as he'd been working on this for three weeks Dean was hopeful about it being ok. And if it wasn't, he was confident that Balthazar would be the first to say so. The bass ready in his hands, he counted them in with a quick four beats and then waited for his cue to open his mouth and start, frowning briefly at the tambourine in Chuck's pile of odd instruments.

" _We never had that much to do so we just lay around in someone's house, Some day I'll have it all again, just like way back when...Open a window let the breeze blow in, forget everything. Yeah, those'll be the days that I'll be missing, when I'm old and when I'm grey and when I stop working, I hope that I can say, when all my days are done, we were just having fun..."_

By the last line all four of them had smiles on their faces and Dean was sure that he wanted it on the album. Balthazar had started playing along on the keyboard after the first verse and the random whoops and hollers from Raphael and Gabriel were actually good additions. In their laughter and yammered advice, no one noticed the door snick shut, or the retreating figure that had listened in as he slunk away.

/

When Dean had gotten up and left, Castiel had been, briefly, pleased. After all the aim of the game was to make him go permanently, leaving Castiel to deal with his mass of half written songs by himself. When he phrased it like that it sounded bad, but that was what he wanted. What had really taken him by surprise was the loneliness that crept stealthily up on him soon after Dean's departure.

He spent a lot of time alone, sure, but the arrival of the other band had meant he couldn't even spend time with his brothers for company because they would be with the others. Having to go across town to avoid being seen with Dean was a trial and even the multiple hookups he'd been having hadn't helped with the insidious feeling of being totally alone. Since what she had labelled The Dean Incident, Charlie too had been distant, shocked to her core at his attitude.

These days the time spent with Dean in the studio was the only familiar interaction he had, sitting in relative silence punctuated by brief periods of snark, he'd already gotten used to his silent companion. Which was a bad idea considering the fact that he was trying to get rid of Dean, and getting weirdly attached to him wouldn't exactly help that one along.

Following him seemed ridiculous, Castiel knew where he was going to go, but the silence seemed empty now without the steady beat of Dean's breathing and the scratch of pen on paper. It was uncomfortable in there alone, and he had to see for himself what was going on, it was a problem, he was nosy, what are you gonna do? He gave it a few minutes before he sought out the larger instrument base, the obvious place for six musicians to spend their time.

He was man enough to admit that seeing the way Dean and his friends fit so well with his brothers bothered him on a deep and personal level, their easy camaraderie boisterous enough to allow him to tease the door open and listen in, another problematic activity of his.

The pride that crept into Dean's voice when he discussed the relative musical talents of the group was different entirely from the way he spoke with Castiel himself, that was for certain. Between them conversation was stilted and increasingly more irritated on Dean's part, his own lack of interest being the cause. That pride quickly disappeared as he began to tune up, focus and even some degree of shyness taking it's place.

When the music began however, Castiel was enthralled. The smooth timbre of Dean's voice was surprising, natural talent evident from the get go. Balthazar even deigned to join their exhibition, and Castiel saw now why Dean had been chosen. Even in the oppressive environment he had created for them to work Dean had created something heartfelt and genuine, working relentlessly to complete it, and then taken it straight to his band for their opinion. For a rookie he was... mildly impressive. One impromptu performance did not an artist make however and for once Castiel was glad that there was always a camera around because he had some research to do. He left as quietly as he had come and didn't look back.

A quick search yielded a mass of results stemming back decades to when Dean was a child, guitar perched awkwardly over himself on what was clearly the stage at the local school while he sang his small heart out with a cover of Johnny Cash's 'I Walk The Line'. The crowd lapped it up, singing along and cheering while his eyes twinkled out at them and he finished, accepting applause bashfully and waving enthusiastically out at someone in the distance. He couldn't have been more than twelve in the video and already an obvious star in the making, so why had it taken over a decade at the least for anything to become of him? Castiel was curious about what had held Dean back, but more importantly the realisation that he was actually a potential asset was turning gears in his head.

If getting rid of the man was off the table, maybe the best thing to do was to use him, churn out the required material as fast as humanly possible and get him gone that way. Still, no need for excess contact or conversation, just two men working on music together. The fact that Dean had some small talent didn't play a role in the reality of Castiel's dislike of him, it had no effect on that at all.

"I need a drink." He thought to himself as visions of the awkward morning that lay in store for him tomorrow filled his head.

/

5 am was no joke, it was hell to get up at 8 let alone 5 but Dean had been dealing, he set bedtimes for himself and stuck to them, waking up at the first sound of the alarm and quietly. Making his way out of the apartment without waking anyone else to be outside the studio for 5 on the dot. Which was why he was so pissed when Cas rolled up at 7:30. He was the one that had set the ridiculous time, he should be the one to keep it.

"Where the hell have you been?" He growled at Cas, taking in the addition of sunglasses to his usual suit pants and tie combo. The hangover didn't make the prickly bastard any more friendly that was for sure.

"On a bender" Cas replied glibly, strolling past Dean while jingling the keys softly at him. Another dumb idea had been giving the keys to Cas, he was always the late one and yeah OK no one else would arrive until like 8 but still, from what Dean could see he was an irresponsible person in general, after all he'd been gone when Dean had gotten back to the writer's room yesterday, probably on that bender from early afternoon.

He got a distinct youngest child vibe from Cas even though Gabe had explained that they actually had one sister younger than him. There was something inherently annoying about the attitude he had towards their collaboration and the way he dealt with it. Dean loved to drink, getting drunk was his fifth favourite activity, but day drinking only lead down dark paths and he wasn't cool with doing that to himself or seeing it happen to the people around him. It was a waste of potential, and waste was just dumb. Cas was a grown man however and Dean didn't get to say how he ran his life so he bit his tongue and followed him inside.

The one thing that Dean could say was that the cleaning staff (unlike Cas) were really considerate of his writing space, happy to leave his notebooks alone and only moving things if they were on the floor. His corner was comfortable because it was tucked away; A desk and chair shoved against the wall, a sofa angled to face away from Cas's dominating grey suede corner monstrosity, his accoustic guitar and enough room to roll off of the sofa onto the carpet and still be comfortable. There was a seemingly endless supply of paper and pens in the desk drawers and even a few hidden snacks that meant he rarely ended up going to the kitchen for anything. All in all it was a nice space and he settled into it again for another, shorter, morning of work in silence, hanging his leather jacket over the back of the chair and rolling up his sleeves. It was a sofa day anyway he had decided, flopping into it and starting to scribble.

If anyone brought it up he would insist that he was already rolling to the floor when Cas spoke rather than stretching and surprised into hitting the ground like an idiot.

"Come here." Cas commanded, wincing internally at the thud of Dean's body dropping to the floor when he did so. That had not been his intention but it was an appreciated comical side effect that hopefully negated any witty retort Dean might have offered.

"I didn't know you had a dog Cas, where have you been hiding him?" Or perhaps not. Dean grinned cheekily at him from the floor, utterly at ease despite his blunder. He tried to bite it back, but Dean could see him fighting not to smile back at him, and that was a win in his book. Without waiting for the resigned sigh to make it's reappearance he pushed himself up off the floor and slid over to Cas's twelve seater, sitting opposite him expectantly.

"It seems as though I have little choice about your presence, so I might as well make use of you. That being said, I realised that my past actions haven't exactly endeared me to you, which is good in that I wish only to complete this album and be done with it, but at the same time is not conducive to a fruitful working relationship. So" Dean stared warily as Cas rooted around in his bag for something. Mace, a lollipop, who knew with him? The sandwich was a bit of a surprise, but then again the unexpected were Cas's weapons of choice, and from his general demeanour, he was as likely to hit Dean with it as eat it.

"Please accept this sandwich as a gesture of solidarity. I would also like to change the stipulations of our work timetable to begin at nine as opposed to five and remind you that I do not want to be your friend. This is work and work only." He could do work only, work only sounded almost pleasant at this stage. Dean couldn't help but wonder what it was that had changed Castiel's mind even this small amount, but in light of his apparently changeable nature, he decided to take what he was given even if it made anxiety curl in his stomach. As annoying as the first three weeks had been, this seemed too easy of a turn around, after all nothing in particular had happened to cause it. Still, any port in a storm.

" Whatever you say comrade, now what are we looking at here?"

/

"I'm working with him OK? Now will you please stop with the silent treatment and the heavy breathing. It's creepy." Charlie laughed down the phone and Castiel breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't spoken to him for weeks in protest and it had been... lonely.

"Oh thank God, I was getting bored without you around to make fun of, and I was doing the whole 'Scream' thing, it's supposed to be creepy." Rolling his eyes he flicked through the pages of ideas and lyrics Dean had been compiling with him.

"I don't get that reference Charlie, and no I don't want to watch another terrible movie for the sake of understanding. Do you want to come over and go through this with me so we can decide what's worth going ahead with? I even bought that tea thing that you like." It was as if he could feel her getting an idea and he groaned, well aware that it was going to be ridiculously annoying for him, and mandatory if he wanted her to forgive him. She had a real talent for putting him forcibly in situations that made him uncomfortable.

"Oh don't be like that Cas, All I ask is that you join us for once for Friday dinner , I'll even let you do it next week instead of this one because I'm a nice person. Please? You'll have a good time, it's actually pretty fun, and Dean won't even talk about work because his baby will have just arrived and that's all he's gonna are about plus he'll have his call from S-"

"Ok OK fine. I will attend one dinner. One Charlie, that's it. Now get over here would you?" Cas conceded her victory , as always, and rolled onto his back on the bed with a sigh as Charlie squealed happily.

"I'm on my way up as we speak, Are you hungry? Because I made noodles." That made him pause.

"Charlie, how did you know I was going to call you early enough to make noodles for two? And to be at my place already? How did- Dean already told you didn't he?" Of course he had, They were friends and Charlie had probably been in contact with him the entire time, after all he was the one that invited her to those group dinners in the first place probably. He should have seen that one coming.

"He texted pretty much as soon as you left the room. But in fairness, I've been making dinner for two for weeks now waiting for you to stop being an idiot. You'll be the reason I get fat one of these days, mark my words, when I end up looking like a red head Jabba the Hut, you're to blame. Now stop sulking Cas and open the door, I made coffee cake too." Cas smiled gently to himself and hung up, rushing to the door because if he knew Charlie, and he did, it was fairly likely that she'd be laden down with Tupperware. True to form, she passed three tubs gratefully to him as she made her way to his kitchen, opening them as she went and releasing the delicious scent of home cooking into the air.

"Since when have you started calling me Cas?" The thought occurred him halfway through the bowl of noodles as Charlie regaled him with tales of the antics she had witnessed the previous Saturday. Charlie paused with her chopsticks midway to her mouth and frowned.

"You know" she laughed "I think it's Dean. He calls you that and it just kind of stuck." Three weeks and Dean Winchester had changed the way Charlie referred to him, the dynamic he shared with his brothers and even Castiel's own mind. "Looks like he's changing all sorts of things" Cas remarked quietly and went back to his noodles, a seed of something strange taking root in his chest.


End file.
